I was dragging my feet towards my Trig class when Leo hip-checked me and half of my Monster sloshed out of the can. "Watch it!" I cried, attempting to clean the mess off my hand and sleeve, not even bothering to care about the floor. "I paid almost 5 bucks for this!"

"What a rip-off," he scoffed. "I can get you a case at Herbie's for a fraction of the price."

"That doesn't help me now," I grumbled as we approached the classroom door. "So. . .what's the news from your uncle?"

A massive grin looked like it was about to split his face in half. "Don't be mad, okay?" He didn't have to say anything else at that point. I was going to be alone for the whole sucky summer, I knew that much. But he continued, "I'm going to LA!" He was so excited that I tried to be excited for him. "And guess what else?" The tone of his voice rose so high I was surprised he hadn't been kicked in his nether regions. But he mysteriously stopped after the painfully pitched exclamation.

"What?" I asked impatiently. I glanced at the classroom clock, and Mr. Porter frowned at me, silently communicating that I had better be in my seat in 47 seconds or I'd get detention. Leo also looked at the clock, watching the second hand count down.

"Tell me!" I practically screamed and earned another unhappy look from my very eager Trig teacher. 32 seconds.

"Leo, what is it?" I sternly demanded through my clenched teeth. 24 seconds. This was very unlike him. Normally, he wouldn't be able to contain whatever exciting news was threatening to burst out of him.

Finally, he just started to walk away, and with mere seconds to spare, he called over his shoulder, "I'm meeting Adam Hayes on Saturday."

"What?!" I screamed, this time at the top of my lungs.

"Ms. Elliott!" Mr. Porter reprimanded me. "Take a seat this instant or you will find yourself in the principal's office." He always said things like that. "You will find yourself in detention," or when talking about the dangers of speeding or something dumb, "You will find yourself inside of a jail cell." As if we would just be magically transported somewhere as a result of our wrongdoing.

I sat down without any further noise, but my insides were churning and bubbling and I couldn't calm my racing heart. That jerk! He knew we'd have no time to talk today because we had no classes together, we wouldn't pass in the hallway, and we didn't even have the same lunch period.

How could he do this to me?

Ugh, what was happening? Did he shake up that can of Monster more than I thought? My stomach was really reacting to something. Maybe he threw a Mentos in it and now it was about to explode out of my gut.

Oh no! It was about to explode. I got up and sprinted to the bathroom with Mr. Porter yelling at me, "Nora, come back here at once!"

I did not care if he gave me detention but I would do anything to avoid throwing up in front of my classmates. I made it to the toilet just in time and I heard a security guard race in after me. She was just starting to read me my rights when she stopped mid-sentence, noticing that I was currently retching into the john.

Her tone changed to, "Oh, honey, you're not feeling well? I'm sorry. Let's head down to the office and we can call your mom." I was about to resist, knowing I wasn't truly sick, but then I realized I wouldn't be able to pay attention in any of my classes at all.

"Okay," I said in a forlorn voice. "Can you get my things from Mr. Porter's class?"

"Of course, honey. Let's get you to the office first."

I wasn't exactly sure how I'd stay sane while I was at home all day, but it would be better than being yelled at for being distracted in every class. I flopped onto my bed as soon as I got home, and my mom even came in and asked if I wanted some ginger ale. I guess she could be kind of motherly if she really tried. While she got me a glass, I sent Leo a text.

What the hell?

He sent back a big cheesy smiley face.

And a few seconds later, I sent, Are you serious? You're really going to meet him???

Thumbs up emoji.

Why? When? How? WHAT? I almost cracked the screen with the pressure of my flying fingers.

He sent me the shrugging emoji. That was it. I was going to murder him. How could I do it so no one could pin it on me? I began to wonder how I could get some arsenic and-

"Here's your ginger ale," my mom announced, shaking me out of my murderous daydream.

"Thanks, Mom," I said dutifully. "I think I'll just sleep for a while, okay?"

"Of course," she said. "That's fine."

I didn't think I'd actually be able to sleep but, hey, I'm a teenager, we can fall asleep anywhere, any time. The next thing I knew, my phone was buzzing. I blindly grabbed for it and opened my eyes just in time to notice it was already after 2:00.

"Hello?"

"I'm coming over," Leo announced.

"Fine," I groaned. "Bring me some food or I really will murder you."

He laughed, sounding a little confused and slightly nervous. "Okay?"

"I was having homicidal thoughts earlier in the day, but if you bring me something to eat, I might pass on spiking your drink with cyanide."

"Geez, chill," he said. "What do you want?"

"A Frosty from Wendy's, a Big Mac from McDonald's, and curly fries from Arby's."

"You're punishing me, aren't you?" He asked.

"Yep."

I finished the call and realized I was also punishing myself. Not only was I starving, but now I would also have to wait longer for him to tell me the details of his terribly-timed news from this morning.

I dozed off again and woke with the smell of curly fries. I sat up and there sat Leo, penitently, on the end of my bed. "I feel like I should hate you, but I'm ravenous."

"Why would you hate me?" He asked innocently.

"Mostly because after you dropped that bomb on me this morning, you knew I'd have to wait the whole day before getting any details from you." I crammed a handful of fries into my mouth. "And I threw up."

He burst out laughing and asked, "When don't you throw up?"

This was true. My stomach was just prone to rejecting anything in it whenever I got remotely excited or upset.

Then he eyed me uneasily. "Are you sure you should be pile-driving those fries?"

"I'm fine," I assured him after I swallowed the mound of food. I could eat as much as any guy and my manners weren't always pristine, but I never talked with my mouth full. That was just too gross. "I threw up because you put a grenade in my hand and then pulled the pin as you walked away! I lasted two minutes, tops, and then I ran out of Porter's room and made it to the girls bathroom just in time."

"I can't believe you barfed," he chuckled.

"What if I told you I was going to meet Billie Eilish this weekend?"

He pondered that for a moment and said, "Yeah, I see your point." He started to tear open the wrapper on his burger.

I grabbed it away from him. "Nuh-uh. Spill."

"Okay, fair enough," he agreed. "I'm going to meet Adam Hayes this weekend."

"You already told me that!"

"Fine. Tito Rod is going to be his manager."

"Shut the fuck up!" I yelled. "How?"

"Tito Rod is a fucking fantastic salesmen, that's how," Leo grinned widely.

"But Adam has been with the same manager for years! I can't believe I didn't know his contract was up."

"There you go again, talking about Adam Hayes like you know him," Leo teased and snatched his burger from my hand.

"I do know him," I said in defense.

"No, you don't," Leo insisted. "Now shut up and let me tell you about meeting him."

"Can I come with-" I interrupted.

"No, now shut up," he said, having anticipated the question. "Apparently, Adam has been very unhappy with his management team." Okay, I actually knew that. I guess I hadn't jumped to the next conclusion, which was that he would be shopping for a new manager. "So Tito Rod apparently made a fantastic pitch that completely sold Adam on his management style. You have to admit he's been doing pretty well representing some pretty big names out there."

"That's true," I mused. "Kimmy Bates, Jack Rudyard, they're doing very well now."

"Exactly," Leo agreed emphatically. "So apparently Adam had been really impressed with the things he's heard, and he actually sought out Tito Rod to talk to him. They met once and Adam hired him on the spot. Word is, he's been cleaning house."

I nodded. "Yeah, I guess I knew he was unhappy with some of his band members, too. I just hadn't thought much more about it because I've been swamped with studying for finals."

"You haven't been paying attention to Adam's career? Geez, the fuckin' world is going to fall off its axis!" Leo teased.

"Shut up!" I giggled. "Okay, I admit I don't know everything about him. I feel like I just get him, you know? As a person and as an artist."

"Well, I guess we shall see since I'll be working for my uncle, which means I'll be working for him."

"I hate you."

"Yeah, I know."

We sat and ate peacefully for a bit since I really was starving, and apparently so was Leo. He had bought himself two Big Macs and a giant strawberry milkshake from Mickey D's.

"So. . ." I finally said softly, "can I come with you?"

"No."

"You know it will kill me if you get to meet him and I don't. You know that, right?"

"No, it won't."

"Leo, I have to go! I promise I won't molest him."

"You will most definitely molest him."

"I will not!"

"I  just don't think it would be professional to bring along a hyper,  psychotic fangirl to a business meeting," he finally answered.

"Leo! I will be completely professional," I insisted.

"You'll probably puke."

This was true. I'd have to take some anti-nausea meds just to be safe. "I'll take something. And I won't eat anything. I promise I will not hurl."

"Nora."

"I'm your sister?"

"Nora!" He was getting exasperated.

"We're Siamese twins!" I shouted, smashing myself against his body, trying to figure out how we could make it look realistic.

"Nora, Nora, Nora," Leo began to say and I figured this was it. This was going to be the absolutely not that I'd been dreading. "Of course you're coming with me. Do you think I would deprive you of such an amazing opportunity?"

I  launched at him with an ungodly squeal escaping my lungs, completely engulfing him in a full-body hug that sent  us both tumbling to the floor. I heard my mom's footsteps coming up the  stairs and I yelled, "We're okay, Mom. We're just wrestling."

"Be careful," she said sternly and went back down the stairs.

We laid on the floor laughing for a bit. Finally, I pushed myself up on my elbow and leaned over him and said, "You know I love you, right, man?"

"You smell like puke."

* * * * *

I love to hear your comments, especially when I'm just starting a story. Please tell me what you think.

xoxo Jen